TAKE A DEEP BREATH

Mike Maher
  • 4.8 (76)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Biweekly

An entire podcast dedicated to Breathwork, Breathing, and The Power of Your Breath. Join Mike Maher as he talks to the worlds leading experts, scientists, yoga instructors, and explorers of this thing we call The Breath.

  1. 1d ago

    #138 The HRV Masterclass: What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You - Dr Jay Wiles

    Today’s guest is Dr Jay Wiles, one of the world’s leading experts in heart rate variability (HRV) and nervous system regulation, working with elite athletes and high performers to improve recovery, resilience, sleep and performance. In this podcast, expect to learn what your HRV score is really telling you, whether you can trust your wearable, how the vagus nerve controls your stress response, how resonance breathing changes HRV, and the practical steps you can take to train a more resilient nervous system. Learn more about Dr Jay and explore Ohm, his personalised HRV biofeedback and resonance-breathing system: https://ohm.health (Use code TADB10 for 10% off.) Free Resources: 🎁 FREE 7-Day Nervous System Reset Course (worth $99, free for a limited time) 👉 https://www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/7-day-reset-signup Work With Me: 🌿 Learn to breathe like a Yogi Master for Effortless Calm 👉 https://www.skool.com/breathe/about 🧘 1:1 Coaching - personalised support to fit your life 👉 https://www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/121-coaching-2026 Listen to this podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0zcueBIU1nFKQCeUepR3dw Questions? Email me: take-a-deep-breath@outlook.com 0:00 Why HRV Matters 1:05 What HRV Really Means 5:52 What Low HRV Actually Means 11:23 Can You Trust Your Wearable? 21:17 How Your Nervous System Actually Works 30:34 Do Vagus Nerve Stimulators Work? 34:36 How Resonance Breathing Raises HRV 41:22 Equal Breaths vs Longer Exhales 49:57 Breathing Depth, Humming & HRV Hacks 59:19 The Minimum Dose to Train Your Nervous System 1:10:16 How to Find Your Resonance Breathing Rate 1:13:04 CO2, Sunlight, Grounding & Sauna

  2. Sep 17

    #137 Neuroscientist Explains: WORST vs BEST Dopamine Habits | TJ Power

    Today’s guest is TJ Power, neuroscientist and author of The DOSE Effect. In this podcast, we explore how dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins shape the way we feel, why modern life leaves so many of us overstimulated, and what we can do about it through better habits, breathwork, nature, food and connection. Find out more about TJ here: https://tjpower.co.uk/ Enjoying the podcast? Buy me a coffee and help keep it going ☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/mikemaher Free Resources: 🎁 FREE 7-Day Nervous System Reset Course (worth $99, free for a limited time) 👉 https://www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/7-day-reset-signup 🎁 Try my main Community for FREE for 7 days here: 👉 https://www.skool.com/breathe/about Work With Me: 🌿 Heal Your Nervous System At Your Own Pace - a self-paced course to fix chronic stress 👉 https://www.skool.com/breathe/about 🧘 1:1 Coaching - personalised support to fit your life 👉 https://www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/121-coaching-2026 Listen to this podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0zcueBIU1nFKQCeUepR3dw Questions? Email me: take-a-deep-breath@outlook.com Chapters 0:00 Why You Feel So Overstimulated 1:31 The 4 Brain Chemicals Running Your Life 3:34 Breathwork, Serotonin & Your Vagus Nerve 6:50 Why Modern Life Feels So Rushed 12:13 How to Break Your Phone Addiction 19:28 Dopamine Withdrawal & the 15-Minute Boredom Barrier 25:20 What Screens Are Doing to Our Kids 30:53 The Missing Ritual Between Work & Home 34:40 Why Your Brain Won’t Switch Off at Night 40:01 Sunlight, Serotonin & Better Sleep 43:31 Sauna vs Cold: Which Does Your Brain Need? 50:37 How Ultra-Processed Food Hijacks Dopamine 58:33 Why We’re Starving Ourselves of Oxytocin 1:00:44 The Surprising Power of Eye Contact 1:07:29 AI, Relationships & the Future of Our Brains

  3. Sep 10

    #136 Dr Belisa Vranich - Is Your Breathing Making You Sick?

    Watch on YouTube Here Today’s guest is Dr. Belisa Vranich, psychologist, author and TEDx speaker, whose work focuses on breathing mechanics and helping people retrain dysfunctional breathing patterns. Take Dr Belisa's Breathing IQ Test Here: 👉 https://breathingclass.com/biq Free Resources: 🎁 Start Here: FREE 7-Day Nervous System Reset Course (worth $99, free for a limited time) 👉 https://www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/7-day-reset-signup 🎁 Download My Periodic Table of Breathwork (Every Breathing Exercise Mapped) 👉 https://www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/periodic-table-signup Work With Me: 🌿 Heal Your Nervous System At Your Own Pace - a self-paced course to fix chronic stress 👉 https://www.skool.com/breathe/about 🧘 1:1 Coaching - personalised support to fit your life 👉 https://www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/121-coaching-2026 Questions? Email me: take-a-deep-breath@outlook.com Chapters: 0:00 Why 9 in 10 People May Be Breathing Wrong 1:08 Functional vs Dysfunctional Breathing 8:18 How Your Breathing Affects Stress & Anxiety 16:46 A 2-Minute Breathing Reset You Can Do Anywhere 24:04 Why Your Hips & Spine Matter for Breathing 32:24 The Breathing IQ Test: Are You Breathing Properly? 41:52 How to Test Your Breathing Mechanics 49:14 Belly Breathing, Bracing & “Sucking In” Your Gut 58:50 Can You Fix Your Breathing as You Get Older? 1:09:25 How Quickly Can You Retrain Your Breathing? 1:20:05 What to Do Once Your Breathing Is “Fixed” 1:24:11 Sauna, Breathing Devices & Respiratory Training 1:29:06 Is Box Breathing Actually That Powerful?

  4. Sep 3

    #135 Davy Pulkerman: Why You Need Help Breathing (And Don’t Even Know It)

    Today’s guest is Davy Pulkerman, founder of Zippit. After developing Long COVID symptoms, Davy became obsessed with improving his breathing, sleep and energy, eventually creating his own mouth tape and nasal strips. Today, Zippit has more than 100,000 customers. Amazingly, after more than five years of this podcast, this is the first time I’ve sat down with someone who actually makes mouth tape and nasal strips! We get into nasal vs mouth breathing, sleep and snoring, who should and shouldn’t use mouth tape, nasal strips for exercise, and some of the simple things you can do to make breathing through your nose easier. Want to try Zippit? 👉 go-zippit.com Use code TAKEADEEPBREATH15 for 15% off. I’ve personally used Davy’s products and really like them, so if you’ve been curious about mouth tape or nasal strips, have a look. Take part in the mouth-taping study mentioned in the episode: 👉 https://tally.so/r/MeEYdX Free Resources: 🎁 Start Here: FREE 7-Day Nervous System Reset Course (worth $99, free for a limited time) 👉 https://www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/7-day-reset-signup Work With Me: 🌿 Heal Your Nervous System At Your Own Pace - a self-paced course to fix chronic stress and anxiety, on your own time 👉 https://www.skool.com/breathe/about 🧘 1:1 Breathing & Nervous System Reset Coaching - personalised support to fit your life 👉 https://www.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/121-coaching-2026 Chapters: 00:00 Mouth Tape, Nasal Strips & Better Breathing 02:01 Why Nasal Breathing Matters 07:38 Who Should and Shouldn’t Use Mouth Tape? 11:41 Mouth Tape for Snoring, Sleep & Dry Mouth 16:23 Scared of Mouth Taping? Start Here 19:41 The Biggest Mouth Taping Study Yet 20:34 Nasal Strips: Do They Really Increase Airflow? 25:40 Nose vs Mouth Breathing: What’s Actually Best? 27:04 Mouth Tape vs Nasal Strips for Better Sleep 33:31 Why Breathwork Is Exploding

  5. Jul 31

    #134: Nikolina Lauc: Biological Age Expert: This Test Predicts How Long You'll Live

    Curious about your own biological age? You can take the same GlycanAge test I did in this episode and save with our exclusive 10% discount using the link below. https://glycanage.com/shop?discount=TADB In this episode, I sit down with Nicolina Lauc, co-founder of GlycanAge, to explore what your biological age can reveal about your health, stress levels and future longevity. We discuss why some people age faster than others, how chronic stress changes the body, my own GlycanAge results, and the simple habits that may help you live a longer, healthier life. If you're interested in longevity, stress, breathwork or optimising your health, you'll enjoy this conversation. 00:00 Why Your Real Age Isn't Your Birthday 00:55 Meet GlycanAge & Biological Age Testing 05:17 What Is Inflammation, Really? 07:00 Are Telomeres Actually the Best Age Test? 11:12 What Speeds Up Biological Age? 13:19 ADHD, Stress & Living Longer 18:19 Mike's GlycanAge Test Results 23:48 What Your Glycan Results Really Mean 28:37 Sleep, Stress & VO₂ Max 32:28 The Biggest Things That Slow Ageing 36:54 Health Anxiety & Biohacking 40:39 Childhood Trauma & Biological Age 44:33 Breathwork, PTSD & Healing 47:42 Can Breathing Slow Ageing? 52:41 Nature, EMFs & Modern Living 54:48 Blue Zones & Why Some People Live Longer 1:01:40 Is Lung Capacity the Best Predictor of Longevity? 1:02:42 The Best Anti-Inflammatory Diet 1:07:36 PTSD, Hypervigilance & Sleep 1:11:44 How to Get Your Biological Age Tested 1:13:39 Final Thoughts

  6. Jul 17

    #133 Meditation Expert: Why Your Mind Won't Shut Up | Ariel Garten, Muse Co Founder

    In today's episode, we welcome back Ariel Garten, co-founder of Muse. Ariel is a neuroscientist and former psychotherapist whose brain-sensing technology is used by NASA, the Mayo Clinic, and hundreds of thousands of everyday meditators worldwide. In this conversation, we discuss why meditation feels so hard to stick with, what's actually happening in your brain during those first few weeks of practice, and how to teach even young kids to self-regulate with their breath. We also get into why silence can feel so uncomfortable, whether you can trust your own thoughts, and Ariel's take on using meditation to sit with physical pain rather than fight it. Want to try Muse? It's a headband that reads your brain activity in real time while you meditate, so instead of guessing whether you're doing it right, you get instant feedback that guides you back to focus. Get 15% off Muse at https://choosemuse.com/tadb 0:00 – The Problem With Meditation 3:07 – What Meditation Does To Your Brain 5:23 – Muse vs Meditating Alone 8:09 – Teaching Kids To Meditate 13:10 – The Fear Of Silence 16:15 – Does Location Matter? 17:47 – Can You Trust Your Thoughts? 20:42 – Talking Back To Your Inner Critic 23:05 – Sitting Still vs Walking Meditation 26:20 – Meditation In A Crisis 28:21 – Is Pain Good Or Bad? 36:28 – How Muse Improves Your Sleep Want to try Muse? It's a headband that reads your brain activity in real time while you meditate, so instead of guessing whether you're doing it right, you get instant feedback that guides you back to focus. Get 15% off Muse at https://choosemuse.com/tadb

  7. Mar 31

    #132 The Coffee Expert: This Is Why Your Coffee Is Making You Anxious

    Get The Best Night's Sleep with RA Optics, use this link to get 10% off: https://www.raoptics.com/TADB10 FREE RESOURCES: 🎁 Download My Free Audio Breathwork Bundle here: https://ra.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/mp3 🎁  Access My Free 7 Day Breathwork Course https://ra.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/burnoutreset PAID RESOURCES: 🫁 Work with me directly to fix stress, exhaustion & tension https://go.takeadeepbreath.co.uk/121/ Is your morning coffee quietly destroying your health or is it actually a superfood? Today's guest is Alex from Exhale Coffee, a coffee and caffeine expert who is here to set the record straight. We cover everything from polyphenols and brain health, to the shocking truth about decaf, why instant coffee might be the worst thing in your kitchen, and the exact brewing method that gets you the most out of every cup. This one will completely change how you think about your daily brew. Learn more about Exhale Coffee here: https://exhalecoffee.com/ Chapters: 0:00 Is coffee actually a superfood? Meet Alex from Exhale Coffee 0:58 The parasympathetic side of coffee why it's not all fight or flight 2:26 Coffee is not bad for us. We're bad for coffee. 3:01 Polyphenols what they are, why they matter & the 31x brand difference 5:14 The health benefits of polyphenols Alzheimer's, heart disease & more 6:45 The dark truth about decaf — paint stripper, chemicals & what to look for 10:59 Instant coffee ultra processed, mycotoxins & why it's the worst offender 13:44 When to have your first coffee & the Andrew Huberman debate debunked 17:27 Electrolytes, morning routines & stop wasting money on fancy sachets 19:32 The best brewing method for maximum health benefits (backed by lab tests) 24:12 Caffeine half life, sleep, performance dosing & when to stop for the day 33:35 Should you cycle off caffeine? Cognitive benefits & brain health deep dive 47:13 The mindful coffee ritual & why slowing down changes everything 54:54 Mushroom coffee, AG1 & why good quality coffee beats all the supplements

  8. Feb 17

    #131 Patrick from Alveos - Breathing Rate Matters & How To Track It

    Today’s guest is Patrick, co-founder of Alveo, a new chest-worn breathing wearable designed to track breath rate variability (BRV) and nervous system state in real time. In this conversation, we explore the future of breathwork, wearables, and nervous system regulation and why breathing data may be the missing piece in modern health tech. Learn more and support this project on Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alveos/alveos-one-wearable-that-listens-to-your-breath Chapters: 0:00 BRV explained - the breathing metric no one’s talking about 3:21 HRV vs BRV - what your nervous system is really telling you 5:31 Can breathwork actually train BRV long term? 9:18 The chest wearable - how it works (and why it’s different) 12:30 Why breathing data beats most wearables 17:23 The future: real-time breath coaching + nervous system AI 24:56 Why this device was built (asthma, breathwork & tech) 32:26 Can breathing tech detect illness early? 36:28 The university validation study (what they’re testing) 41:14 Breathing under stress, load & real life 48:17 Breathing as the “4th pillar” of health 53:46 What the app will actually do for you 57:44 Are humans breathing faster over time? 1:02:15 Pricing, Kickstarter & subscriptions explained 1:07:15 Final insight: don’t use breathwork to avoid emotions

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4.8
out of 5
76 Ratings

About

An entire podcast dedicated to Breathwork, Breathing, and The Power of Your Breath. Join Mike Maher as he talks to the worlds leading experts, scientists, yoga instructors, and explorers of this thing we call The Breath.

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Maher
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    139
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 TAKE A DEEP BREATH
  • Show Website
    TAKE A DEEP BREATH

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